Incontinent on the continent: my mother, her walker, and our grand tour of Italy by Jane ChristmasTo honour a promise to her dying father, Jane takes her ageing incontinent mother to Italy. What could possibly go wrong? Jane Christmas had always had a difficult relationship with her mother, but thought that a mother and daughter trip to Italy could be the start of a whole new friendship. In this hilarious but poignant memoir, she discovers that it will not be that easy.

The Bridge Ladies: a memoir by Betsy LernerThis absorbing memoir by literary agent and author Lerner (The Forest for the Trees) is about the game of bridge, but it’s also about bridging gaps-both the generational gap and the “personal gulf” that had defined Lerner’s relationship with her mother.

Bettyville: a memoirby George HodgmanBig-time magazine editor leaves New York City to care for his ailing yet feisty mother in their old-timey Midwestern hometown. The premise sounds like fodder for a laugh-track sitcom. Hodgman’s gorgeously constructed memoir, however, couldn’t be further from a pat Hollywood confection.